Lamps wants Jose back at Chelsea

Backing ... Frank Lampard wants the Special One back managing at Stamford Bridge. Source: Sang Tan / AAP

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard welcomed speculation linking former manager Jose Mourinho with a return to Stamford Bridge and said it would be a positive move for the club.

Lampard was one of Mourinho's key players during the Portuguese coach's three-year spell at Chelsea, which came to an abrupt end in September 2007 when the manager left the club.

With Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez due to leave at the end of the season, Mourinho has been strongly linked with a return from Real Madrid, and Lampard says he would welcome the sight of his old mentor back at the club.

"I think it would be a great thing for the club," the England midfielder said.

"He is a successful manager and he would be a great thing for any club.

"It's hard to comment with the season still ongoing and with the manager not here or chosen yet. It would be easy to speculate.

"I have seen speculation before and a completely different manager walks through the door, so you never know on that front. But he is certainly one of the greatest if not the greatest manager in world football."

Lampard's own future remains unclear, as his contract is due to expire at the end of the Barclays Premier League season and the 34-year-old is yet to agree a new deal.

"I've always said that I wanted to spend all of my career here, so I think everyone knows that," Lampard said.

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Chelsea ready to rescue Rooney

On the way out ... Is Rooney joining Fergie at the exit door? Source: Graham Stuart / AFP

It’s been less than 24 hours since Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement and the rumour mill is about to explode. 

How will the club’s roster – and ability to recruit – be affected by Fergie’s exit? 

The Daily Mail have declared: "Ronaldo lined up for stunning Man United return as Rooney asks to follow Ferguson out of Old Trafford... and Chelsea are confident of luring £25m England striker to London".

Rooney reportedly told Ferguson two weeks ago that he "wanted a fresh start" after a punctuated season, where he played second-fiddle to Robin van Persie.

Meanwhile, they claim Ronaldo, who just banged in his 200th Real Madrid goal on Thursday (EST), is on the cusp of returning to Old Trafford. Outgoing CEO David Gill has been in Madrid meeting with the Portuguese’s agent.

The unanimous verdict seems to have anointed David Moyes as Ferguson’s successor at Old Trafford – but will that entice Rooney to stay or push him quicker out the door? The pair last worked together at Goodison Park in 2004, before a teenage Rooney departed for the bright lights of Manchester United. 

Before Ferguson’s bombshell, the Daily Mirror had linked Rooney with a move to Bayern Munich in a £30million deal. They’ve now revised that to add that Roman "Abramovich has personally sanctioned raid on Manchester United for striker who's facing reunion with his old Toffees foe Moyes".

Rooney hasn’t yet formalised his discontent with a transfer request, but it will be fascinating to monitor the situation in the coming days if Moyes is appointed. 

"Wayne Rooney has been told by Manchester United that he will not be sold this summer, although it remains to be seen whether David Moyes wants to keep the player with whom he had a difficult relationship at Everton," writes Oliver Kay in The Times.

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Late Chelsea winner sinks United

One is enough ... Juan Mata celebrates his winner at Old Trafford. Source: Darren Walsh / AP

Juan Mata struck an 87th-minute winner as Chelsea won 1-0 at champions Manchester United on Sunday to reclaim third place in the English Premier League and tighten their grip on a Champions League spot.

A lacklustre game at Old Trafford was drifting towards a goalless draw when Mata collected a pass from Oscar and dispatched a low shot that took a deflection off Phil Jones on its way into the bottom-right corner.

Mata's goal means Chelsea go into Wednesday's crunch clash against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge with a three-point lead over their London rivals, who are bidding to crash into the top four.

Arsenal are sandwiched between the pair in fourth, a point behind Chelsea, having played a game more.

United had right-back Rafael da Silva sent off late on and although their lead over second-place Manchester City remains 13 points, they have failed to win in two games since clinching their 20th league title.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	36	27	4	5	42	85
2	Man City	35	21	9	5	30	72
3	Chelsea	35	20	8	7	34	68
4	Arsenal	36	19	10	7	31	67
5	Tottenham	35	19	8	8	18	65
6	Everton	36	15	15	6	14	60
7	Liverpool	36	14	13	9	25	55
8	West Brom	35	14	6	15	1	48
9	Swansea	35	10	13	12	-1	43
10	West Ham	36	11	10	15	-8	43
11	Stoke	35	9	13	13	-10	40
12	Fulham	36	10	10	16	-11	40
13	Aston Villa	36	10	10	16	-21	40
14	Southampton	36	9	12	15	-11	39
15	Norwich	36	8	14	14	-22	38
16	Newcastle	36	10	8	18	-23	38
17	Sunderland	35	9	10	16	-12	37
18	Wigan	35	9	8	18	-22	35
19	Reading	36	6	10	20	-26	28
20	QPR	36	4	13	19	-28	25

United manager Alex Ferguson conceded his side weren't good enough, but he felt Rafael had been reacting to an elbow from David Luiz when he was sent off by referee Howard Webb.

"He was elbowed. He retaliated, and the player who retaliates always gets the bigger penalty," Ferguson told Sky Sports.

"David Luiz elbowed him twice, but Rafael was rash and shouldn't have retaliated. I don't think the referee saw it at all."

United made five changes from the side that drew 1-1 at Arsenal last weekend, with Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and goalkeeper David de Gea among the players dropping to the bench.

Chelsea were missing Eden Hazard due to a calf strain and made four changes from their Europa League semi-final second leg success against FC Basel on Thursday.

Interim Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez was reluctant to discuss Rafael's red card.

"I didn't see the incident and I didn't see any replay," he said.

"You try to enjoy it if you win. If you lose, you can complain, but it will change nothing."

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Chelsea tighten grip on top four

Fan favourite ... Frank Lampard celebrates his goal against Swansea. Source:AAP

Frank Lampard moved to within one goal of Bobby Tambling's Chelsea record with the penalty that sealed his team's 2-0 victory over Swansea on Sunday.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	35	27	4	4	43	85
2	Man City	34	21	8	5	30	71
3	Chelsea	34	19	8	7	33	65
4	Arsenal	35	18	10	7	30	64
5	Tottenham	34	18	8	8	17	62
6	Everton	35	15	14	6	14	59
7	Liverpool	35	14	12	9	25	54
8	West Brom	34	14	6	14	2	48
9	Swansea	34	10	12	12	-1	42
10	West Ham	35	11	9	15	-8	42
11	Fulham	35	10	10	15	-9	40
12	Stoke	35	9	13	13	-10	40
13	Southampton	35	9	12	14	-10	39
14	Norwich	35	8	14	13	-21	38
15	Sunderland	34	9	10	15	-7	37
16	Newcastle	35	10	7	18	-23	37
17	Aston Villa	34	8	10	16	-27	34
18	Wigan	34	8	8	18	-23	32
19	QPR	35	4	13	18	-27	25
20	Reading	35	5	10	20	-28	25

With Tambling watching from the stands, Lampard hit his 201st goal for the Blues shortly after setting up Oscar for the strike that put Rafael Benitez's side ahead in the 44th minute at Stamford Bridge.

The win strengthened Chelsea's grip on a top four place, moving them three points clear of Tottenham who lie fifth with just four games remaining.

"I think it was a good game because not just to win, we created a lot of chances, we play nice football, the fancy players that we have, they were always around the box and defending we had some balance," Benitez told Sky Sports.

"Some situations in the second half, they were attacking a little bit more and between the lines we had some problems, but still we had a lot of chances and I felt for the fans, it was a good game."

The match also marked referee Mark Clattenburg's first appearance at the Bridge since he was cleared of racially abusing John Obi Mikel during Chelsea's defeat to Manchester United last October.

Clattenburg's return passed off with little controversy, although Benitez and his players were convinced Swansea captain Ashley Williams should have received a second yellow card midway through the second half.

The referee's decision not to punish Williams for pulling back Demba Ba made little difference to the outcome however, with Chelsea easing their way to victory against a Swansea team with little to play for.

Benitez's side came into the game on the back of Thursday's impressive victory in Basle in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final.

That result moved the Blues closer to a second successive European final following last year's Champions League triumph, but Benitez has always maintained a place in the top four is the club's main priority.

And Chelsea's hopes of securing a place in next season's Champions League were lifted ahead of this clash by Tottenham's failure to beat Wigan 24 hours earlier.

"We said that it (the race for top four) could go on until the end of the season so we have to concentrate on every game," Benitez said. 

"Today to get three points, to do well, to play nice football was also important."

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Chelsea resume Mutu money chase

Money chase ... Chelsea continue their compensation claim over Mutu. Source: Lorenzo Galassi / AP

Chelsea will take Juventus to a FIFA dispute panel this week as they continue their bid to reclaim compensation from former striker Adrian Mutu.

The Romanian striker was sacked by the Stamford Bridge club in 2004 after he tested positive for cocaine and Chelsea have been chasing money lost in signing him ever since.

After the sacking, Mutu served a seven-month ban before joining Juventus via another Italian side, Livorno, who acted as an intermediary in the deal.

Courts in Switzerland, where FIFA, world football's governing body, is based, have ordered Mutu to pay 17.2 million euros ($A22 million) in compensation to Chelsea but no money has yet been paid.

Chelsea are now pursuing action against Juve and Livorno, holding them to be responsible because they signed him for nothing.

He had initially signed for the Blues for STG15.8 million ($A23.7 million) from Parma, while Juve eventually sold him to Fiorentina.

FIFA's dispute resolution chamber will listen to the case in Zurich this week, while Chelsea have also taken legal steps to try to claim three properties bought by Mutu in Miami worth several million pounds in total.

"We are exercising our legal remedies to recover the amounts owed to us and we will continue to do so," a Chelsea spokesman told the Press Association.

Mutu, now 34, is currently playing in France's Ligue 1 for Ajaccio, with whom he has scored eight goals this season.

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Di Canio debut ends in Chelsea loss

Paolo Di Canio ... Italian may have lost his first game in charge but he remains defiant. Source: Alastair Grant / AAP

Chelsea came from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, denying Paolo Di Canio a sensational start in his first game as a Barclays Premier League manager.

Chelsea's victory, in a game that witnessed two own goals, lifted them above both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur into third place, while Sunderland remain just a point above the relegation zone.

Appointed as the successor to Martin O'Neill amid a whirlwind of controversy over his alleged fascist sympathies, Di Canio saw his side take the lead on the stroke of half-time via a Cesar Azpilicueta own goal.

Matthew Kilgallon accidentally gifted Chelsea an equaliser in the 47th minute when he diverted Oscar's pass past visiting goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	30	25	2	3	39	77
2	Man City	30	18	8	4	29	62
3	Chelsea	31	17	7	7	28	58
4	Tottenham	32	17	7	8	15	58
5	Arsenal	31	16	8	7	27	56
6	Everton	31	13	13	5	12	52
7	Liverpool	32	13	10	9	19	49
8	West Brom	32	13	5	14	-1	44
9	Swansea	32	10	11	11	1	41
10	Fulham	31	10	9	12	-4	39
11	Southampton	32	9	10	13	-7	37
12	West Ham	31	10	7	14	-9	37
13	Newcastle	32	10	6	16	-14	36
14	Norwich	32	7	14	11	-19	35
15	Stoke	32	7	13	12	-11	34
16	Aston Villa	32	8	9	15	-24	33
17	Sunderland	32	7	10	15	-11	31
18	Wigan	31	8	7	16	-20	31
19	QPR	32	4	12	16	-23	24
20	Reading	32	5	8	19	-27	23

Branislav Ivanovic completed the Chelsea comeback 10 minutes into the second half but his strike was similarly fortuitous, David Luiz's strike cannoning off him and trundling into the bottom-right corner.

"I am not worried (about relegation),'' said Di Canio.

"When I decided to move to Sunderland, I knew what players were here but we have to fight until the end of the season.

"I won't say this was a bonus game but it was a test for us to see what we can do. I am not happy we lost 2-1, but there were positive things I can take from this.''

Chelsea interim manager Rafa Benitez aimed a dig at his critics in the media after the victory.

Benitez has had to cope with constant scrutiny over his selection, tactics and future after taking charge of the Stamford Bridge club, but the club remain on course to secure UEFA Champions League football next season and remain in contention for FA Cup and Europa League glory.

"Two or three days before it was a crisis, two hours before the game it was the end of the world. Now we are in the top three again," he said.

"The media, you are too quick, too fast, everything is going too fast. We have to settle down and analyse things and have more relaxation when you do your analysis."

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Chelsea Handler, Conan O'Brien in vicious, nude shower fight

Published April 04, 2013

New York Post

• 

Someone needs to learn how to lock a door. After her naked shower fight with Sandra Bullock, Chelsea Handler got into a nude-and-crude scuffle with Conan O’Brien.

In the comedic sketch, the late-night hosts trade barbs, then slaps, with each other.

O’Brien starts by accusing her of stealing his old “Tonight Show” space: “This is my studio – you stole it, remember? I still have the key. Plus this is the best water pressure in Los Angeles.”

The video then takes a veiled dig at NBC’s announcement that Jimmy Fallon is taking over for Jay Leno. 

If you recall, O’Brien enjoyed a brief stint as “Tonight Show” host.

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Lampard's 200th inspires Chelsea

Super Frank ... the Chelsea veteran brings up his goal milestone. Source: Darren Walsh / AAP

Frank Lampard scored his 200th Chelsea goal to help the Blues to a 2-0 victory over his former club, West Ham United, which moves them up to third in the Barclays Premier League.

An impressive Eden Hazard teed up the veteran midfielder's 19th-minute header with a skilful chip into the box before adding one of his own early in the second half.

Lampard, on his 595th Blues appearance, was unmarked when he met Hazard's clipped cross from the right channel with a firm header for his first goal since his strike in the FA Cup fourth-round replay with Brentford in February.

Chelsea would have been in front much earlier had Demba Ba converted instead of slicing wide  in one of the misses of the season when played in by Lampard in the seventh minute.

Manager Rafael Benitez admits Chelsea's win could have been even sweeter if they had scored more goals, but says it has still been a "positive" week.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	29	24	2	3	38	74
2	Man City	29	17	8	4	25	59
3	Chelsea	29	16	7	6	28	55
4	Tottenham	30	16	6	8	14	54
5	Arsenal	29	14	8	7	23	50
6	Everton	29	12	12	5	11	48
7	Liverpool	30	12	9	9	18	45
8	West Brom	30	13	5	12	2	44
9	Swansea	30	10	10	10	2	40
10	Fulham	29	9	9	11	-4	36
11	Stoke	30	7	13	10	-8	34
12	Norwich	30	7	13	10	-18	34
13	Newcastle	30	9	6	15	-11	33
14	West Ham	29	9	6	14	-11	33
15	Sunderland	30	7	10	13	-9	31
16	Southampton	30	7	10	13	-10	31
17	Aston Villa	30	7	9	14	-25	30
18	Wigan	29	7	6	16	-21	27
19	Reading	30	5	8	17	-22	23
20	QPR	30	4	11	15	-22	23

The triumph came after they turned around their UEFA Europa League tie with Steaua Bucharest in midweek to advance to the quarter-finals and Benitez is pleased to see his side on the up.

"It's a pity because it was a great win, a great result for us, a clean sheet, two goals, 200 goals for Lampard, but we could have maybe scored three or four goals and it would have been even better," he said.

"West Ham are a difficult team to play against. Free-kicks and corners are always a problem. If they'd have scored one goal they would have been back in the game so we needed to score the third goal, kill the game, but we didn't do it.

"We're still very positive. The week was very positive for us and today the team was playing great football."

On Lampard reaching his milestone the manager said: "He's a great player. 200 goals for any player is a fantastic achievement. For a midfielder it's even better.

"He could have scored one or two more goals. I'm really pleased for the team, really pleased for him and for everyone here."

David Luiz was substituted for John Terry in the 78th minute with an apparent injury and Benitez says he does not yet know the severity of the damage.

"We don't know. We need to talk with the doctor because we don't know how serious the problem is," he said.

"We made the substitution just in case but we need to talk with the doctor."

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